Edward Mulrow

Ed is a statistical consultant with expertise in data visualization, combining data, and utilizing nonprobability samples.

As senior vice president, Edward (Ed) directs the Statistics & Data Science department for NORC at the University of Chicago. He has over 35 years of statistical consulting experience, which includes: area probability sampling, tax compliance sampling, utilizing administrative records, utilizing nonprobability samples, Bayesian methods, evaluation methods, geographic information systems, visualization, data mining, record linkage, statistical matching, and performance measurement comparisons for determining parity.

Ed is the project director for record linkage projects with the National Center for Health Statistics. (NCHS). NCHS houses unique national data resources and expertise, including (1) the National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS), which provides unique statistics on health and health care utilization based on patient hospital and emergency department (ED) visits, medical claims records and Electronic Health Records (EHRs), as well as information on provider and patient characteristics; (2) the National Death Index (NDI), a centralized database of death record information on file in state vital statistics offices; and (3) a Data Linkage Program, which has substantial statistical and methodological expertise in creating, managing and analyzing multisource linked files. In collaboration with NCHS, NORC has linked the NHCS with the NDI and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare and Medicaid data files, HUD administrative housing data, and VA data. Linkage algorithms have been developed and assessed, and analytic guidelines were developed to the final linked data files. NORC has also helped NCHS evaluate privacy protected record linkage (PPRL) software by comparing the accuracy and robustness of commercially available PPRL software to traditional linkage methods utilized by NCHS.

Based on work done for the Department of the Interior Office of Historical Trust Accounting, Ed and NORC colleagues published an Annals of Applied Statistics article describing the methodology used to estimate that amount of unaccounted for money belonging to individuals Indians in the Indian Trust. The estimate has been used by the U.S. District court as part of settlement in a long-standing court case of individual Indian account holders.

Prior to joining NORC, Ed was a Director in the National Economic Consulting Group, Washington National Tax Services office, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and prior to that was a Senior Manage in the Quantitative Economics and Statistics Group at Ernst & Young LLP. His work included the development and use of statistical sampling in support of tax reporting for the filing of current and amended returns, and to develop performance measure comparisons for a regional telephone company. Ed provided expert witness testimony to Public Service Commissions in eight states regarding the need for generic performance measurements, benchmarks, and enforcement mechanisms incumbent telecommunications companies.